After Jinnah lesson, it’s Bihar test

Advani did not elaborate on what exactly he had learnt and whether it had to to with pursuing the new ‘‘liberal’’ line or sticking to the ideological certainties of the Hindutva school he was brought up in. But his brief address to party workers, who suddenly emerged with sweets and crackers to celebrate his return after being largely invisible for the past five days, gave a hint of what lies ahead.

Advani asked them to delay celebrations till the results of the crucial Bihar elections were out later this year. Advani, who led the march of 126 MLAs of the dissolved Bihar Assembly to Rashtrapati Bhavan yesterday, made it clear that the biggest challenge before the party right now was winning the elections in the state.

He told the party workers that whatever the President’s decision or the court verdict on the dissolution, ‘‘when people get the opportunity to make their choice, they will give us a landslide victory and help us form the government in Bihar”.

What Advani left unsaid was that the Bihar verdict is likely to have an equally significant impact on his future — ideologically and politically. The Janata Dal (United) proved his biggest supporter during the recent BJP crisis, with not just George Fernandes but even Sharad Yadav and Nitish Kumar (who have always been wary of the Hindutvavadis) openly demanding that Advani take back his resignation.

The JD(U) achieved some success in wooing disgruntled Muslims in the February polls and got five Muslim MLAs while Ram Vilas Paswan — despite his fervent pro-Muslim card — got none.

The JD(U) is hoping that it will make further inroads into Laloo Prasad Yadav’s fractured ‘‘Muslim-Yadav’’ combine this time, particularly since the LJP is more or less defunct. The JD(U), sources said, backed Advani last week not because they think Jinnah was secular but because Advani was being pilloried by the RSS. Advani’s view on Jinnah may not endear him to Indian Muslims, but Advani becoming a victim of Togadia does, the ‘‘secular’’ parties in the NDA reckoned.

With the ‘‘compromise’’ resolution seen as a victory for the hardliners, Advani will have to work harder to keep the JD(U) happy and shore up his ‘‘liberal’’ image to ensure the NDA does well in Bihar.

If the BJP fares badly in Bihar, the knives, sheathed for now, will be out for Advani, party sources admit. A setback in Bihar will embolden his detractors in the party and Parivar to demand he step down before he completes his term in 2007. A victory, on the other hand, may help Advani pursue his ambition of becoming a Vajpayee more vigorously.

‘BJP organ of RSS’

LJP leader Ram Vilas Paswan on Saturday backed L.K. Advani’s statement on Jinnah. ‘‘The Sangh Parivar raised a storm over Advani’s remarks and he was forced to resign from the post of BJP president…The VHP and Bajrang Dal want to divide the country on communal lines. He said the whole episode outlined the true identity of the BJP, which was an ‘‘organ of RSS’’.